It's been long awaited for some people, but the wait is almost over. The Hall of Fame Induction weekend coupled with the Hall of Fame game is here. On Sunday, August 8th, the NFL pre-season will officially kick off, with the Dallas Cowboys "visiting" the Cincinnati Bengals. The game will be televised on NBC and will give all of us our first taste of football for the 2010 year.
This will be the first time since the Saints took home the Lombardi trophy that two teams will line up in a competitive fashion. Of course, the starters will play a series, two if we're lucky, and then they'll give way to the backups, who will give way to the backups, who eventually give way to the guy who bags your groceries. Only he has a cooler story now.
But outside of the game, there is an even bigger event, one I hope I can attend one year (perhaps when Derrick Brooks is inducted). That, of course, is Induction Weekend.
The actual enshrinement will be on August 7th and will cap the career of some fantastic players and coaches. We all know what the Hall of Fame stands for, and only the best of the best make it every year. This year is a star studded class, featuring two of the all time greats. Lets check out the list of those being inducted.
Russ Grimm
Rickey Jackson
Dick Lebeau
Floyd Little
John Randle
Emmitt Smith
Jerry Rice
Quite an impressive list huh? All of these players/coaches have contributed to the game immensely and are worthy inductees into the Hall of Fame.
So when this weekend rolls around, be sure to catch the induction ceremony. And of course, be sure to catch some of the game. Lastly, be sure to envision a few of our current guys being on that stage at some point. You never know who may end up there.